Colour Coding in Architecture and Interior Design

Whether you're looking to change completely or just update your existing colour scheme, using 'codes' could be both practical and inspirational.

**Where practicality meets creativity**

My research starts in Paris, city of love... for art and design. Believed to be the largest museum for modern art in Europe, the Pompidou Centre, is the home to the largest collection of modern and contemporary art in Europe as well as to major exhibitions.  What attracts an average of 16,000 visitors per day is its unique appearance. Designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, originally, all of the building's functional structural elements were colour-coded; green pipes were plumbing, blue ducts were for climate control, electrical wires were yellow and circulation elements and safety devices were encased in red. 

Using colour-coding is not only eye-catching but also creates an uplifting visual experience which can be also used in interior spaces. 

As a designer, I use a colour wheel to illustrate the colours of the visible spectrum. Although it's a simplified model, knowing how to use the colour wheel takes some of the mystery out of selecting a colour scheme and to learn about the relationships between colours.

You can use warmer colours to draw in a room and make it feel smaller. If you're deciding on a paint scheme and there are elements in a room that you want to draw closer, point them in a warmer colour. If you have a small room that you want to expand rather than make more intimate and close,  choose cool colours such as green, blue or violet-red. You can also mix and match warm and cool colours with purpose to advance your design goals and make a room more interesting.

What is really important is to choose and use colour in an informed way. By informed I mean exploiting its associations to communicate unspoken ideas and emotions. Every colour you chose, should come from somewhere, be connected to a thing or a place. You can draw your inspiration from a photo, a pottery set or a work of art. 

My colour-coding inspiration for a living room I've designed came from this painting.

Bright mid-red hue, similar to 'Signal Red' but with the addition of black has been used as an accent colour to change the entire feel of a room. Red pieces feel very fresh, bold, exciting and timeless. When using red, think accent pieces, such as picture frames, vases, cushions or a bouquet of red roses in a white vase.

Neutral greys, perfect complement to more intense shades, have been paired with red to render it softer and more lively.

Ultrawhite, although the coolest, can be also used positively. Here, white functions as a colour code for all the suspended pieces of furniture, 'boxes', and apart from illuminating and emphasising interesting forms, sharpens up every other colour in this scheme, especially red. If you are keen on a more dramatic effect in a contemporary white space, try adding one or two bolder hues that you like. 

The interior is unified by **purest black**, colour code for seating pieces. This also allows for black and white to complement each other in furniture arrangement.

For inspirational colour schemes visit www.design-seeds.com 

For inspiring furniture pieces in funky colours visit http://www.tononitalia.com/tonon